How to repair temple tips of old Wayfarers?

May 12, 2022 12:54 PM

How can I build up the very tip of the front end of one earpiece/temple of my beloved Wayfarers? They open too wide, because the very tip of one arm/earpiece chipped away where the hinge mates into it.

The glasses don't fit well because they open too wide. But they are old friends that I am reluctant to discard: the lenses are still in great shape after 30+ years!

Can I build up a few layers of super glue? Or would that chip away too easily? I only need to add about 1mm of thickness .

posted by wenestvedt to Home & Garden (6 answers total)

I've had this exact thing happen to my glasses before (as far as I can tell from your description). I cut a tiny piece of plastic (I cut off a tiny bit of a zip tie, IIRC) to use as a shim and superglued it on to the end of the arm. It held up until I got new glasses, at least a year.
posted by btfreek at 1:01 PM on May 12 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Alternately, this previously makes two-part epoxy sound like a possibility.
posted by wenestvedt at 1:02 PM on May 12 [1 favorite]

If you’re not dead set on a completely DIY solution, you can buy replacement temples direct from Ray-Ban/Luxottica for $60-$66 for a pair (only in pairs, unfortunately). Link. Not super cheap but more likely to work and look seamless. I’m hard on lenses so I keep a pair on hand and have ordered from them before.
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 1:23 PM on May 12 [1 favorite]

Wayfarers often get sort of stretched out and loose through wear and tear. If you put them into a cup of hot/warm water for a few minutes, they become soft and pliable enough that you can easily bend them back to fit more snugly on your face, good as new.

I don't know that this will solve your problem—it sounds like you're dealing with more than just stretching out—but maybe it's worth a shot.
posted by sportbucket at 3:00 PM on May 12 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Notorious problem alert! So much so that I figure a pair of Wayfarers isn't broken in until you have to wear them with your head tipped slightly back and to the side with just the right amount of insouciance to keep them from flopping off. Glue also works.
posted by rhizome at 4:54 PM on May 12 [3 favorites]

maybe using some sugru to make a shim?
posted by koroshiya at 5:32 PM on May 12 [1 favorite]